United Way of Eastern New Mexico fulfills more than half of goal

The United Way of Eastern New Mexico has fulfilled 62 percent of a $482,005 community-wide goal for its 2005 fund-raising campaign, according to the agency’s Executive Director Erinn Burch.

Burch said she is confident the remaining funds will be procured.

To date, $301,656 has been donated or pledged. The bulk of United Way funds are donated through workplaces and corporations, Burch said. She said contributions from many major annual donors, including local banks, Eastern New Mexico University and Dillard’s have yet to be added to the campaign totals.

However, contributions from the campaign’s most generous donors — Clovis Municipal Schools and the Plains Regional Medical Center — have already been tallied.

“Sometimes, it’s the folks who (are) maybe closest to the need that will give a little more. You never can tell,” Burch said of consistently large donations from hourly workers.

“Part of the reason we see high donations from the hospital and the schools,” Burch added, “is because they see the need directly; they see people in their most vulnerable states, and that puts them closer to the reality of what it means to be vulnerable.”

Burch said remaining campaign contributions should be tallied by Dec. 16. But that deadline may be missed. The organization is about three weeks behind its usual schedule, due to a rough hurricane season and local Base Realignment and Closure proceedings, Burch said.

The non-profit organization provides local youth and family programs, aids those in crisis, and aims to increase community self-sufficiency. Burch said the United Way is still accepting donations.